Series: Stay #1
Author: Emily Goodwin
Published: May 2014
Format: Personal Purchase
Pages: 327 pages
“I felt like I was walking to the end of a plank precariously hanging over shark-infested water. When I jumped, sharp teeth would rip into me and the cold water would steal my breath away. The monsters would take everything from me, leaving me shivering and naked in the water. The only difference was that tonight I would be pulled from the icy darkness and forced to do it again. There would be no release from death, only pain.”
Home after her first year of college, Adeline Miller is looking forward to a stress free summer filled with reading, working on her blog, and spending time with friends. But all that changes in an instant when she is witness to something terrible, something she wasn't supposed to see.
Beaten, drugged, kidnapped.
Adeline Miller is ripped from her innocent and carefree life and thrust into darkness, into a world full of pain and horror. As a sex slave, she is forced to do horrible things, and have horrible things done to her. One of her captors has a past as dark as the world she is now living in. Will getting close to him mean freedom? Or will he pull her deeper into the shadows?
I just recently finished Stay by Emily Goodwin, and wow. Up until this, I'd only read her zombie novels - and I don't know which is scarier. This book definitely pushes the limits, and is s-c-a-r-y. Emily Goodwin, of course, writes it well, and you can tell that she's definitely done her homework. Every page feels real, painfully real.
The story starts in a happy place. Addie is out to support a friend at a gay pride parade, when she sees a girl running - and she is obviously terrified. One thing leads to another, and Addie is kidnapped. Now, this isn't like my regular reads. There is no underlying heavy sexual tension. There is only darkness and fear and pain. Addie herself is a very strong character, you can't help but like her. Beaten, enslaved, prostituted, raped... I mean, you name it, and it happens. But through it all she remains strong, and that is to be commended.
The characters in this book are frightening in their reality. The story shows you how easily something could happen, and how things are not always what they seem. The fear that goes through the story is something that will stay with you. Addie is stuck in a basement with other girls, and she comes into contact with so many forms of evil. While some of the girls are delusional and quite possibly suffering from some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, others prove to be a bright spot in Addie's time.
But just when I thought I couldn't take any more of the dark, some bright spots start appearing in the story. No spoilers, but all I can say is that sunshine only needs a small crack to find it's way in. All in all, I'd definitely read this story - but be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. There is some scary and real and sick shit that goes on. But all hope is not lost.
Emily lives with her husband, daughter and German Shepherd named Vader. She has degrees in psychology and nursing. Along with writing, Emily enjoys riding her horse, designing and making costumes and Cosplay.
Find Emily Goodwin Online
Stay on Goodreads
Emily Goodwin on Goodreads
Website
Buy It!!
Stay on AMAZON
Previous Posts on Fictional Candy
Contagious - Review
Emily Goodwin - Guest Post on Orissa
